Dental appliance.



No. 741,071. PATENTBD OCT. 13, 190a.

L. A. DE ROSA.

DENTAL APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED DBO. a. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

. W I a 172064702. zzfimaaeci: lea 2 aide? UNITED STATES Patented October 13, 1903 DENTAL APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,071, dated October 13, 1903. Application filed December 9, 1902. Serial No. 134,567. (No model.)

' ard A, and this sleeve may be held in any po- To all whom it may concern.- I

Be it known that I, LEOPOLD ADRIAN DE ROSA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Dental Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in dental appliances, and has for its object to provide an appliance which will facilitate dental operations by holding the tongue against movement, thereby keeping the tongue from coming in contact with the teeth being operated upon and preventing to a great extent the flow of saliva, and thereby leaving the operator free to pursue his work.

In carrying out my invention I provide a curved tongue-depressor which comes in contact with the tongue and which is connected upon the outside with an adjustable standard carrying a cushion which comes beneath the chin of the patient.

With these ends in View this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will now be described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the application of my device; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the appliance.

In the drawings, A represents a standard, which may be either round or rectilinear in cross'-section,and at the upper end this standard is bent atright angles, as indicated at A, and to the end of this horizontal portion A is secured or formed with it the curved tonguedepressing plate B, which curves downward sition placed by means ofthe set-screw D.

E is an arm formed with or secured to the sleeve 0 and extending outward therefrom in the same direction as the tongue-depressor, and upon the outer end of this arm E is secured a cushion or pad F. Upon the lower end of the standard'is threaded a button G to prevent the sleeve 0 from accidentally dropping from oif the standard.

In operation my device is used as follows:

The tongue-depressing plate B is inserted in the mouth of the patient so that it will lie above the tongue and hold the same in its lowest position and out of contact with the teeth. The clip H, secured to or formed with the horizontal portion A of the standard upon the under side thereof, will straddle the front teeth of the lower jaw, and the horizontal portion A of the standard will pass between the lips, and the standard A will then extend downward below the chin. The sleeve G will then be adjusted upward along the standard A until the cushion or pad F is brought in contact with the under side of the chin, as shown in Fig. 1, and then the set-screw D being tightened the appliance willbe held in' place, and the tongue of the patient will be depressed and held out of contact with the teeth.

The advantage of this invention is that it holds the tongue ,firmly without the slightest pain or annoyance to the patient, and being below the gum margin it gives a clear View of the entire operating-field and allows the patient to close the mouth to relieve the strain without risk of wetting the teeth. It does not interfere with the operator in the least; but, on the contrary, afiords the fullest opportunity for the most difficult operation.

Another advantage of my invention is that it dispenses with the rubber band,.which has always been an annoyance to both the patient and dentist, and the appliance is inserted in position in a moment, leaving the operators hands free. It allows the patient to swallow with ease and there is no gagging or drying of the throat, and as the appliance keeps the tongue depressed, so that it covers the sublingual glands, the excess flow of saliva is lessened fully ninety per cent.

The whole appliance is constructed on ex- 'ceedingly-simple lines, and by removing the button G the sleeve 0 can be removed from the standard A and the Whole appliance sterilized and cleaned completely, there being no parts in which dirt or germs could be secreted.

I am aware that a patent has been granted to C. F. C. Mehlig, No. 590,460, September 21, 1897, for a dental appliance which in some respects is similar to mine; but it is not for the same purpose as my invention and is dif ferently constructed, the only similarity being the pad or cushion which rests beneath the chin of the patient.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction here shown, as slight modifications could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is-- In a device of the character described, a vertical standard, the upper end of which is bent at right angles so as to form a horizon tal portion, a curved depressing-plate extending downward from the inner end of the horii standard, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEOPOLD ADRIAN DE ROSA.

Witnesses:

ARNOLD KATZ, A. R. HOBOK. 

